Breakdown of Yi's breakout

The kid is a quick learner. After an inconsistent and foul-plagued first couple of games, Yi Jianlian found his groove in the Bucks' home opener against the Bulls at the Bradley Center, leading his team to its first win of the season. His 16 points and 8 rebounds - both career highs by far - and timely defensive work allowed the Bucks to keep control of the game and keep their division-rival foes winless. Coach Krystkowiak has been saying all along that Yi is an incredibly quick study. Yi proved his coach right on Sunday.

And, apparently, Yi's breakout game couldn't have come at a better time for his coach. According to Titan Sports, the Chinese sports newspaper, Yi's performance may not have just saved the Bucks the game - it may have saved Krystkowiak his job. A Titan report yesterday quoted a Bucks official who indicated that with playoff-bound opponents like San Antonio and Houston coming up, Milwaukee might have been in danger of opening the season 0-6, or worse. The coach's choice to start the rookie Yi, at the very least, has raised a few eyebrows. And with an anemic offense and a winless record, a coach's job status grows ever more precarious. Combined with the fact that Milwaukee's head coaching position has been a virtual revolving door over the last few years, Krystkowiak may well have had reason to fear.

But it's a moot point now because Yi's handling of the Bulls should quell his critics and help keep his coach's job secure - at least for now.

The excitement about Yi has not escaped Yao Ming either. After Yao led the Rockets to their third straight win on Sunday, the first thing he did was to ask the omnipresent Chinese media in Houston how many points Yi had scored that night. When told of the rookie's stellar game Yao replied, "When Yi plays well, I'm very happy." It's safe to say the 100 million Chinese fans tuning in to Yi's game on Sunday feel the same way.

(China Daily 11/06/2007 page22)